Winship's Department of Radiation Oncology awarded prestigious APEx accreditation

Winship Cancer Institute's Department of Radiation Oncology has earned the prestigious Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx) distinction from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) for all three of its Emory Healthcare locations. The facilities at Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, and Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital all were awarded four-year terms as APEx-accredited facilities.

Winship Executive Director and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD says, "It is a true honor to receive the APEx accreditation for our three facilities. This accreditation is a strong testimony to the outstanding work of our faculty and staff who made this happen and to the quality of our cancer care by our team."

APEx is an accreditation program created by ASTRO to promote evidence-backed systems, processes, and policies that support quality improvement in radiation oncology practices.

"Each and every staff and faculty member contributed to this major quality improvement project," says Natia Esiashvili, MD, associate professor and departmental leader of quality improvement, who spearheaded the effort to receive the accreditation. "I give special acknowledgement to our radiation oncology administrative leaders and managers, who were instrumental in the work leading to the award."

The accreditation process includes passing rigorous self-assessments and arranging site visits and interviews for additional performance reviews.